might we have sung a different bird call?

Maria Sharapova got into all sorts of dung for debuting her Nike “peacock” dress at the 2010 Australian Open. Fanfare about clothing is usually great for media — we can only write about backhand winners so many times — but if the athlete strays too far from the matter at hand (that’s playing tennis, in case you’re wondering), she’ll end up with a disparaging reception.

But there’s nothing we can do about a shaky game — a first-round exit, upset by fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko. An alternative could have been wearing the supporting cast to her Maria Sharapova Collection, aka the “separates” version of each of the seven Nike outfits she’ll be wearing this year.

The Golden Set tank has some mini-ruffles around the collar (taking from her Wimbledon swan dress of 2007) and there is a tactful slit on the Golden Set skirt that should set an example for how Venus will design clothes for future tournaments.